Welfare Reform/TANF

LaDonna Pavetti Testimony: State TANF Spending and Its Impact on Work Requirements

"Complete reconsideration of the (TANF Work Participation Requirement) should be central to any TANF reauthorization discussions. In the interim, I offer five recommended changes that could be implemented within the current TANF structure as a part of an extension of the existing program:

1. Revise the Work Participation Rate to allow states to count recipients who leave TANF for work in their WPR for 12 months.
2. Instruct HHS to initiate a demonstration project that encourages states to develop alternative performance measures that focus on employment outcomes.
3. Restrict MOE to government spending by eliminating third-party spending, with possible exceptions only for new initiatives that require new spending for narrowly-defined purposes.
4. Redesign the TANF Contingency Fund.
5. Restore funding for the Supplemental Grants."

TANF Weakening as a Safety Net For Poor Families

"Many policymakers continue to claim that the 1996 welfare reform law which created the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program was a major success. They see the TANF program's design and block grant structure as a model for the reform of other safety net programs.

"TANF's record over the last 15 years shows, however, that its role as a safety net has declined sharply over time. (See Figure). In 1996, for every 100 families with children living in poverty, TANF provided cash aid to 68 families. By 2010, it provided cash assistance to only 27 such families for every 100 in poverty. (We refer to this as the TANF-to-poverty ratio.)" Read more

Related:

• Robert Greenstein Testimony: Strengthening the Safety Net
• TANF's Inadequate Response to Recession Shows Weakness of Block-Grant Structure
• Contrary to "Entitlement Society" Rhetoric, Over 90% of Benefits Go to Elderly, Disabled, or Working Households